When FIFA awarded the 2014 World Cup finals to Brazil seven years ago, it looked as if the tournament would be a coming out party for the country. Now, the picture is far more mixed. It has become fashionable…

Hopes are high for Brazil as it prepares to host the World Cup and hold an election, but real economic change is unlikely to flow.
BostonCatholic/FlickrMarch 23, 2014

This year’s FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics seem to be a coronation of Brazil’s undeniable and startling success. But with the Brazilian presidential elections looming later this year, a surge in…

Africa has a youthful population, but so far it has been underutilised in the workforce.
Charles OkumuMarch 21, 2014

Africa is the last frontier of a plundered planet, as argued by Oxford economist and Africa expert Paul Collier. When compared with almost all other regions of the world that have already been explored…

In past decades, emerging markets were traditionally thought of as “basket case” economies, with the associated stigma. Perceptions have improved in recent years, but there are still concerns these economies…

The G20 is made up of several tiers, not all of whom share priorities.
AAPFebruary 25, 2014

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have set themselves a formidable task in accelerating growth and creating millions of new jobs in order to add 2% to world economic growth over the next…

The fragile five economies have become surrogates for the developing world in meetings like the G20.
ShutterstockFebruary 19, 2014

Financial markets love to come up with snappy acronyms – you have all heard of BRICS, but there are many others, with the “fragile five” being the latest. The BIITS - Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa…

Last year’s G-20 knees up. This year expect the taper, the IMF and corporate tax evasion to be the main themes.
FlickrFebruary 18, 2014

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies will meet in Sydney this week. A lot of troubled financial waters have flowed under the bridge since this group last met…